Knobby and gnarly as gingerroot, the sunchoke belongs in the “ugly food” category. Yet, the earthy, sweet and nutty flavor profile and potato-like texture of this tuber makes it fun to cook with, especially when you seek a change from routine side dishes.
Also known as a Jerusalem artichoke, this member of the sunflower family is in season late fall through early spring. Urban gardeners know the fun of taking shovel to earth to dig up the tan nuggets. For the past few weeks, I’ve been delighted to find little bundles in my weekly produce delivery from local Fresh Harvest. I stockpiled until I had enough to make this terrific warm salad published in Christopher Kimball’s new “Milk Street Vegetables.”
Sunchokes are as versatile as potatoes. They can be fried, boiled, steamed, grilled, mashed or pureed as a base for soups. The Milk Street rendition calls for roasting them with red onion slices, then tossing them with briny capers and a hit of lemon juice. Then, throw in some greens and drizzle the lot with a sour cream-based dressing flavored with tarragon and garlic.
Before cooking or eating raw sunchokes, run cold water over them and give them a good scrub to remove any traces of dirt. You gain the energy you expend cleaning them, as the thin skin doesn’t need to be peeled.
Besides Local Harvest, look for sunchokes at some grocery stores, as well as markets with well-stocked produce aisles such as the Buford Highway and Your DeKalb farmers markets.
Excerpted from “Milk Street Vegetables” by Christopher Kimball. Copyright © 2021 by CPK Media, LLC. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
About the Author
